Scoot: Another New Direction for Republicans?

by Scoot,posted May 22 2014 7:52PM

The battle for control of the Republican Party remains at a crossroads. This week, promising Tea Party candidates lost their bids to beat mainstream Republican candidates and prove that conservative voters are ready for Tea Party domination.

Today, a group of prominent conservatives has released a 121-page policy manifesto designed to create a message to attract middle-class voters to the Republican Party. The group behind the message is described as “reform conservatives” made up of right-leaning writers and political analysts. The group claims it has been trying to influence the direction of the Republican Party since the 2012 loss to President Obama.

The Tea Party and another group that believes the Republican Party must move more to the right in order to win elections are both fighting for control of the party. And then, there are the mainstream Republicans, who are fending off both challenges.

I have spent a lot of time talking about the mistakes of the Republican Party on “The Scoot Show” on WWL and that attracts criticism from some who perceive it as “bashing” the Republican Party. I have been very consistent – before the 2012 election I openly talked about the mistakes Republicans were making and after the election many prominent Republican leaders expressed the same opinions I was expressing about the party’s message and direction.

Now, I find myself in excellent company again – a new group of distinguished conservatives are desperate to give their party a news message, which is essentially what I have been talking about since before the election.

If the Republican Party continues to allow itself to be defined by the Tea Party and the ultra-right, then it will have a very difficult time winning the White House. Attempts to drive the party to the right with issues like, abortion, same-sex marriage, immigration and moral issues that give the impression of dictating the personal decisions of individuals will continue to offend women, minorities and younger voters.

America is changing, but change is one of the things that hard-core conservatives innately resist. Even many younger conservatives disagree with the anti-mentality of the conservative right on same-sex marriage and legalizing marijuana.

Right-wing and left-wing candidates do not win presidential elections – candidates that present a more moderate image do. George W. Bush ran as a “compassionate conservative” – do you think the conservative right would accept that slogan today?
Whether the perception is fair or not – the Republican Party has gained the image as a party that is against things rather than a party the acts like it is in touch with America in 2014.

The original message of the Tea Party has been hijacked by right-wing wackos, like Glenn Beck, who anointed himself as a Tea Party leader bringing social and moral issues into a message of fiscal responsibility and smaller government.

There are many people who define themselves as Republicans, but they are rejected by many in the party because they do not agree with a ban on same-sex marriage and support the legalization of marijuana. These are the millions of Republicans who are socially liberal, but fiscally conservative. Any appeal to these Republicans will also attract the attention of the type of moderate liberals that Ronald Reagan so successfully won over.

As long as the “moral police” of the Republican Party continue to control the message, then they should not expect to win the White House. And to the “moral police” in the Republican Party – you have a choice – either support a Republican candidate that focuses on being fiscally responsible and promotes smaller government – or prepare to lose elections.

Conservative voters need to understand that America will not support a party that gives the impression of invading the private lives of individuals – and asking government to stay out of our personal lives is a fundamental belief of conservative ideology!

It's noteworthy that in most of our allied nations including Australia, Canada, and the UK, both dominant parties (Conservative & Liberal/Labor) state they would BOTH fit into the Democratic party in the USA. What we regard as Conservative is furthest to the right of any comparable nation - which suggests to me that the GOP as we know it, short of a dramatic reinvention and possibly a painful period of the "far right" splitting their votes off towards libertarian or sitting out elections, will not be changing anytime soon. I forsee at least a long period of being a southern/rural only party until this extremism gets completely rooted out. It could take awhile.

05/22/2014 8:31PM

Comments

None of the other major conservative parties (Progressive Conservatives in Canada, Conservatives in England, Liberal (the Australian conservative party is the Liberal Party, go figure) are against or seriously propose revoking the national healthcare system. While they may propose cuts, no dramatic closure of the program is ever proposed because they know they couldn't get by with it. Most of them also support marriage equality and gun control. They are not however, more progressive on the issue of marijuana for the most part compared to US Democrats and Libertarians and some Republicans like Rand Paul. These parties have their religious and rural factions, but more often than not, they are considered oddball noisemakers and have little influence on the party policy, platform or votes and are more tolerated than actually listened to. This gets to a broader point of how governments in other countries have to form a "coalition" government to govern, and there are generally at least three major parties. Perhaps that is in the future of the US.

The real truth is that we have a president that is such a far left whacko that

mainstream American in not on the same planet as he is and does not support his policies. He gets a pass personally because he is black, but the majority, even the recent liberal CNN Poll, believe his policies have failed or will fail.

05/22/2014 9:00PM

Well, Scoot continues his homosexual agenda.

Nothing new here.

05/22/2014 9:02PM

Scoot no one is stopping you from sodomizing everything that moves.

You are just seeking others approval of your behavior. Relax and have at it.

05/22/2014 9:06PM

liberal decline and immoral decay

Scoot you are for ever pushing gay marriage abortion and contraception . You know these are destroying. Women

05/22/2014 9:07PM

Scoot is just repeating the Democrat talking points based on fear of losing big.

The Republicans have done a great job this time around of electing candidates in their primaries who are best suited to win. Some identify with the Tea Party and some do not. Scoot like most Democrats are very afraid and should be. Democrats are poised to lose big, and based on their record failure over the past six years, deserve to lose.

05/22/2014 9:16PM

Scoot and Democrats focus on nonsense while voters have greater concerns.

These three issues -- jobs, economy, and government -- have been at the top of the "most important problem" list since the beginning of the year. Actually moral decline was sixth on the list of concerns and homosexuality did not make the list and race relations was last ... hope Democrats keep believing their looney talking points.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/169289/jobs-government-economy-remain-top-problems.aspx

05/22/2014 9:24PM

Contraception

I'd think someone anti abortion would be pro contraception.

05/22/2014 9:26PM

November

I'm a Democrat and so what if the GOP wins in November? The President will veto any of their bills he doesn't agree with and in 2016, the demographics go back to Democratic favor. It's not a huge strategic win for the GOP, just a short term victory they can enjoy while accomplishing nothing. Maybe the Republicans should try and impeach Obama, it certainly helped them with Bill Clinton... ;)

05/22/2014 9:40PM

November try to get some rest. Staying up all night watching reruns of Obama speeches is not good.

An eréction lasting longer than four hours is not healthy.

05/22/2014 9:45PM

"the demographics go back to Democratic favor"

I suppose he means that 52% of the country is on some form of government assistance. Certainly the welfare state whether individual or corporate will vote for more big government, debt, and cultural rot gut. People have discovered they can vote themselves a living and thus, we have record numbers out of the workforce living off the minority. Shameful to say the least.

05/22/2014 9:49PM

Hillary won't win and may not even run.

Hope the DemWITS keep eating their own feces. Funny to watch the Democrats fall apart.

05/22/2014 9:56PM

Entitlements

As opposed to the crony capitalists in the GOP that are dependent on fat bloated defense contracts, favoritism, tax loopholes and pork? Walmart pushes employees onto government assistance - why are you not criticizing them? It's hypocritical for the right to decry "entitlements" when supporting them for business. Defense contractors in VA were airing PRO ROMNEY advertising because he promised to increase military spending. That is entitlement mentality at its worst. Welfare is no picnic - maybe it works if you're a single mother, but ask anyone out of work on unemployment how well that works for them financially. It's a pittance. Hilary wins if she runs, if not, demographics in presidential years still are trending Democrat. If it weren't for the Supreme Court, Gore would have President, and Kerry didn't do too badly either. Obama won twice. The presidential years are Democrats to lose - love it or loathe it, those are facts, Jack.

05/22/2014 10:10PM

Even Republicans Admit 2016 Favors Democrats

“No question, on paper the math is going to favor the Democrats in 2016,” said Brian Walsh, a former official at the National Republican Senatorial Committee. “That just makes it all the more important that we perform in 2014.”
And all those Republican candidates will have to hope that the national Republican Party can repair its demographic problems, unite and find a credible challenger to a Democrat like Hillary Rodham Clinton.
“That is the whole deal,” said Rob Jesmer, who was the political director of the Republican Senatorial Committee in 2012, when Republicans were weighed down by the party’s presidential nominee, Mitt Romney. “It’s very hard to get ahead of the nominee. You can outlast them by two or three points, but you’re not going to run ahead of the nominee by 10 to 15 points.”

05/22/2014 10:12PM

I am an independent.

It would have been great if a leader like Dr. Ben Carson had been the first black-skinned President——a man of genuine accomplish with a real resume. People of all races could have been proud for a man of his character to represent us rather than endure the embarrassment that is Obama.

05/22/2014 10:22PM

I Am A Commenter on the Scoot Blog

Ben Carson is a skilled neurosurgeon. But already the right is saying he isn't conservative enough because he supports some gun control laws. Plus, being a surgeon doesn't make you qualified as an economist or defense, etc. Can Carson govern? Perhaps. But these are the things he'd have to address.

05/22/2014 10:23PM

Obama as an "embarassment"

Why are people always claiming Obama is embarassing while not addressing the fact that before he was even sworn in, McConnell and Bohener were vowing not to work with him and make him a one term president? A president can only do so much, some responsibility rests with the other branches.

05/22/2014 10:26PM

Obamas Resume

Barack Obama got his B.A. from Columbia with a degree in political science. Following graduation, Obama joined the workforce as a community organizer in South Chicago. Obama eventually went to Harvard Law School, becoming the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. He graduated with his Juris Doctor in 1991. He followed this by becoming a lecturer and professor at the Chicago Law School for 12 years, teaching constitutional law. He then practiced law with a law firm specializing in civil rights litigation.
Obama became involved in politics and became a senator in Illinois in 1996, and was sworn into the U.S. Senate in 2005. He was sworn in as president in 2009. Obama's resume has many of the common presidential traits: a law degree, community work, being a member of the U.S. Senate and having attended an Ivy League university.

05/22/2014 10:29PM

2016 Demographics Continued

The two leading Democratic 2016 candidates for the White House trounce GOP candidates among Latino voters, including the two GOP politicians now prominently working to build Latino support, according to a new poll.
The nation’s second-most prominent Democrat, Hillary Clinton, scored a 73 percent “somewhat” or very” favorable response from the 1,200 voters, despite having no legislative accomplishments that have helped Hispanics.
Vice President Joe Biden got a 58 percent favorability rating, and can claim a role in Obamacare and the current amnesty effort, which are strongly supported by Latinos.
But Republican Gov. Jeb Bush gets only 27 percent of “very” or “somewhat” favorable support, and a 39 percent unfavorable response, even though he was popular among Latinos during his tenure as governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007.

05/22/2014 10:31PM

Yet, Barack Obama's Presidency Is A Complete Failure By His Own, Self-Imposed Standards

Obama is a joke. He has a few faculty lounge theories but no real world private sector success. He has NO executive management skills and is the most disengaged president in modern history.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterferrara/2013/12/31/barack-obamas-presidency-is-a-complete-failure-by-his-own-self-imposed-standards/

05/22/2014 10:34PM

... and YOU Dems think Obama is qualified on economic and world affairs ... LOL

Really .. you smoke way too much weed. A child running a lemonade stand knows more about business and creating jobs.

05/22/2014 10:34PM

Real World

So being a lawyer and Senator isn't real world experience? Hah. I'd love to know what you have accomplished in the real world.

05/22/2014 10:35PM

But BENGHAZI!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ither Darrell Issa is so miffed at Republican leaders for yanking the Benghazi investigation out from under him that he's intentionally undermining the new House Select Committee, or he just vindicated those who believe he wasn't up to the task. Either way he just blew a hole in one big piece of the conspiracy theory.
A still-classified State Department e-mail says that one of the first responses from the White House to the Benghazi attack was to contact YouTube to warn of the “ramifications” of allowing the posting of an anti-Islamic video, according to Rep. Darrell Issa, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
The memo suggests that even as the attack was still underway—and before the CIA began the process of compiling talking points on its analysis of what happened—the White House believed it was in retaliation for a controversial video.

05/22/2014 10:36PM

Blue State Advantage

After totaling the electoral votes in all the terminally blue states, an inconvenient math emerges, providing even a below average Democrat presidential candidate a potential starting advantage of 246. Here are the states and their votes:
CA (55), NY (29), PA (20), IL (20), MI (16), NJ (14), WA (12), MA (11), MN (10), WI (10), MD (10), CT (7), OR (7), HI (4), ME (4), NH (4), RT (4), VT (3), DE (3), DC (3).
Let me repeat, if only for the shock value: 246 votes out of 270 is 91 percent. That means the Democrat candidate needs to win only 24 more votes out of the remaining 292. (There are a total of 538 electoral votes.)

Have this issue with math & the electoral college. They can't understand what it means for them in the future.

05/22/2014 10:52PM

Republican controlled states have done better on economic issues.

Republican states have pursued economic and fiscal strategies built around lower taxes, deeper spending cuts and less regulation. Governors have to balance budgets and live in the real world unlike in Washington DC where the Feds simply borrow more money.

05/22/2014 10:58PM

Scott Walker

Promised jobs in Wisconsin. #46 in job creation while Democrats Mark Dayton has revived Minnesota's economy and California's Jerry Brown is getting them back on track. GOP Governors are NOT DELIVERING. Just ask Bobby Jindal.

05/22/2014 10:59PM

Republican States

Are generally poor and have poor healthcare systems - excepting North Dakota and Texas due to oil.

05/22/2014 11:00PM

New Orleans

A Democrat leaning oasis of culture and vibrancy in the midst of a far right led suffering Louisiana.

05/22/2014 11:25PM

Obama

Obama has never run a state as a governor, did nothing in the Senate. He is a mere neighborhood agitator that is in way over his head. He is, however, never held accountable for anything and has refused to attempt to govern knowing he would then get blamed for his failures. He is not a leader and is concerned mostly with the trappings and perks of his office. He claims to hear about all major problems in the news just like Joe Six Pack. He then holds a press conference declaring his anger or concern and then return to fund-raising, golf and agitating his base doing nothing about the problem. Obama is a laughingstock. Sad really.

05/22/2014 11:31PM

Obama is a serial liar on major issues

and intentionally deceitful. There is NOTHING to respect about Obama. He is a hip hop clown.

05/22/2014 11:45PM

Doing a great job in difficult times.

There's a reason why Republicans are successful at the state and local level: The American people are witnessing the positive effects of a Republican administration and are predominately electing members of the party to state governorships, legislatures, and other institutions. In fact, there has not been one incumbent Republican governor that has lost his or her reelection bid since 2007. As a result of their achievements, Republicans are now presiding over 30 state governorships, the highest number for either party in over 12 years.
Republican governors have implemented strategies which have helped unemployed citizens attain jobs, balanced budgets without raising taxes, reduced the tax burden for many Americans, and established more business-friendly environments. They are results-oriented leaders who apply the conservative message in passionate and respectful ways, plan and implement specific courses of action, and achieve beneficial results without delay. Our Republican governors are not only preparing their party so that they can attain electoral victories at the national level, but they are doing what is best for our country, our civilians, and our future.
It's time that we appreciate them for their hard work, devotion, and commitment to our great nation.

05/23/2014 12:07AM

You guys have to realize that Scoot constantly trashes Republicans and conservatives.

He is in a Democrat market and has to pander to blacks and gays. You will not see him post a blog about the failure of Obama and his party. He is small time so no big deal. It is what it is.

Michelle Obama behaves like a welfare queen with a stolen credit card.

She has no class.

05/23/2014 8:26AM

WWL

WWL survives on Sports Talk via its relationship with the Saints and LSU. They otherwise have a group of liberal relics that fill the rest of the air time.

05/23/2014 8:29AM

Al Qaeda terrorists at Guantanamo treated better than our vets

In late 2008, when Obama was president-elect, he and his staff were warned not to trust the wait times reported by VA health care facilities. But instead of fixing the problem, their focus was closing Guantanamo and improving the comfort of detainees. Even though they already lived under some of the best prison conditions ever seen.
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/05/22/al-qaeda-terrorists-at-guantanamo-treated-better-than-our-vets/

05/23/2014 8:32AM

Democrat Senators sided with the Unions yesterday over Vets.

The main reason the VA and most of government is such a mess is because it is nearly impossible to fire incompetent union workers. The public sector unions are one the of Democrats largest donors thus, they own them.

05/23/2014 8:34AM

VIDEO: Al Sharpton Defends Racist Rant: 'It Was Only One Jew'...

The NAACP recently gave Al the award they were going to give Sterling. LOL. The NAACP is one of the most racist, hate-based groups in the country.
http://dailysurge.com/2014/05/video-al-sharpton-defends-history-hate-one-jew/

05/23/2014 8:37AM

Report: White House Contacted YOUTUBE During Benghazi Attack...

They were already planning their lie to the American people about the cause of the attacks while their Ambassador was being sodomized and killed. The monkey Obama needs to be locked in a cage and the key thrown away.

05/23/2014 8:40AM

Senators Block VA Accountability Bill

As the Veterans Affairs (VA) fiasco rages on, the House passed a piece of legislation that would make it easier to fire VA employees and make the department more accountable. It was passed with bipartisan support, with the vote being 390 in favor to 33 against.
There was only one problem. The bill (VA Management Accountability Act, H.R.4031) failed to pass the U.S. Senate. Senate Democrats decided mark this Memorial Day by blocking this bill. But Scooter will never rant about this. He does not support veterans if it makes Harry Reid look bad.
http://www.cnsnews.com/mrctv-blog/matt-vespa/senators-block-va-accountability-bill

05/23/2014 8:43AM

Welcome to ObamaCare ...

VA Admits 23 Veteran Deaths Linked to Delays in Care..
Employees in LA caught falsifying records... Democrats see people as government chattel. They want poor health care for all Americans.

Public sector union workers need to be made accountable and many of the fired and replaced.

05/23/2014 8:58AM

FLASHBACK Obama 2008: VA to be 'leader of national health-care reform'...

Really??? LOL Obama cannot find his rear end with both hands and help from his ungenerous wife.

05/23/2014 9:00AM

Obama.

Analyzing the high and low points of the Obama Presidency is like mapping the geography of the Marianas Trench.
Yes, it has had its ups and downs, but on balance it has been the worst possible confluence of political hackery, abuse of power, corruption, lies, deceit, cronyism, Constitution shredding, Republic snuffing, Rights trampling, breath-taking incompetence imaginable.
Obama has simultaneously the incompetent dithering weakness of Carter, the systemic corruption of Daley's Chicago machine, the courage and resolve of Chamberlain, the pettiness of Hillary Clinton, the smug self-smooching narcissism of Bill Clinton, the desire for a Stalinist peeping Tom government, the blind shrill angry racism of Jesse Jackson, the sputtering intelligence of Al Sharpton, sheer dopiness that rivals his vice president, the jug eared telegenics of an affirmative action Howdy Doody and dreams of being the architect of a massive welfare state like FDR.
He has spent more to do less more inefficiently for more people than any previous President.
He seems undecided on the choice of whether to spend the country to ruin or hand the nation over to our enemies directly.
His centerpiece legislation, Obamacare, mirrors the man - it failed before it even began.

05/23/2014 9:02AM

Affirmative Action is no way to choose a president.

.

05/23/2014 9:30AM

The O-man

The O-man, Barack Hussein Obama, is an eloquently tailored empty suit. No resume, no accomplishments, no experience, no original ideas, no understanding of how the economy works, no understanding of how the world works, no bàlls, nothing but abstract, empty rhetoric devoid of real substance. He has no real identity. He is half-whité, which he rejects. The rest of him is mostly Arab, which he hides, but is disclosed by his non-African Arabic surname and his Arabic first and middle names as a way to triply proclaim his Arabic parentage to people in Kénya. Only a small part of him is African Black from his Lúo grandmother, which he pretends he is exclusively.

05/23/2014 2:01PM

Did we not already have a moderate?

Romney was a very moderate republican and he lost. McCain also. So that does not work either. So many republicans stayed home rather than vote for another almost democrat--republican.
I do not mind listening to Scoot at night. But when he sits in for everyone else, I get Scoot fatigue fast. I wish they would put Spud back on WWL from 1-4 and send Angela to 3WL with her show. It is not fun nor funny. Spud can make any topic interesting.

05/23/2014 2:47PM

Ted Cruz

Is an idiot! http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/05/23/ted-cruz-drops-bombshell-senate-democrats-to-repeal-the-first-amendment-this-year/

05/23/2014 2:49PM

WWL

WWL gets ratings all year long, not just when they air sports. I've seen the numbers. Appears New Orleans likes live, local talk from across the ideological spectrum - even gasp, moderates! Sucks to be you, mad at others for exercising their freedomof thought to be a liberal or a moderate or not an orthodox republican.

05/23/2014 3:03PM

Democrats display their soft bigotry of low expectations ....

"For an hour, I forgot that Obama was black," said Chris Mathews, the host of MS-NBC's "Hardball," after he finished watching President Obama's State of the Union address. Did Mathews mean that he's not used to hearing from articulate blacks who sound just like educated whites?
Recently, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was quoted in the book Game Change as saying privately that Obama, as a black candidate, could be successful thanks in part to his "light-skinned" appearance and speaking patterns "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one." Did he mean that Obama wouldn't have reached the White House if he was darker-skinned or spoke with the African-American vernacular English known as Ebonics?
In the same book, it was reported that Bill Clinton, when he was trying to persuade Ted Kennedy not to support Obama, remarked to the senator, "A few years ago, this guy [Obama] would have been getting us coffee." Did he mean that Obama's race qualified him only for menial jobs? During the 2008 campaign for president, Senator Joe Biden, referring to Senator Barack Obama, said, "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy." Evidently, these folks haven't spent much time around black people. Hence, they're shocked when they come across blacks who are physically attractive, well-spoken, well-dressed, and who bathe regularly. Keep in mind that the aforementioned comments came from liberal Democrats. Obama’s failures and scandals are excused by white liberals because they do not believe blacks are capable of achieving the same excellence as whites.

Wwl only have Tommy Tucker and Angela that can come any where close to rush radio 99.5. Mark Levine beats Scoots ratings every week

05/23/2014 7:29PM

WALESA: USA NO LONGER WORLD LEADER...

Well, with the dumbàss Obama in the White House that is no suprise.

05/23/2014 8:29PM

Ratings

WWL in all dayparts over the past four books beats WRNO - in some books by a wider margin. Mark Levin does not have more listeners than Scoot. Look at the Arbitron book, the "ratings Bible" for the radio industry and only source of this information and tell me otherwise. You can't.